Let's discuss fiction on a message board in general! Totally seems like a productive way to spend our time rather than to go outside and get some fresh air and exercise!

It's a message board for a game, dude. Discussing ANYTHING about it after you're already done with it isn't ever a productive way to spend your time. Unless you want to count that you're getting some writing or communication experience out of it, and so it shouldn't even matter what the subject is.

Also, goofs are totally different things than plot gaps. I certainly find them interesting and funny to read, and they're not really meant to berate the source.

I don't remember this at all, somehow. I just remember Voodoo Lady taking credit.

Largo lied and said that and ended up with part of LeChuck. The Voodoo Lady never made that claim.

I thought there's more than one reference that Elaine says defeated Lechuck. I don't remember who it was (maybe the gate guard?) but Elaine's staff mentions she defeated LeChuck, that and I thought she had a book in the library (not sure on that one) with her name as an anagram.

I think Elaine was bluffing when she said "i let played along with your nice guy act" theres loads of times when random thins come togeather and worked out good 4 me and i lied saing i planed it all along I think she may have 2

Yeah my friend even thought the two statements were unconnected and she was in denial when saying both. She thought when Elaine said "I let you capture me" she was referring to the most recent capture that Winslow mentions and not the one at the beginning, and then tried to make up an excuse for the whole nice guy thing before. Like she's just trying keep LeChuck in his place and stands her ground as the tough one in front of him.

SPOILER WARNING:

SWP: There are a lot of controversial talks between the fans regarding the story of ToMI. Can you clear it up a bit for us? For instance, is it implied that Elaine knows about everything from the start? How much DOES she know and what was her plan, if she had one?

MS: Elaine has a history of being one step ahead of Guybrush, LeChuck, and everyone else in the world of Monkey Island. That’s because, well, most of the cast isn’t all that bright.

Our take is that Elaine has long suspected that the Voodoo Lady has been putting Guybrush and LeChuck through a never-ending cycle of conflict for mysterious purposes. This annoys the heck out of Elaine, who is ultra-protective of her hubby and chafes at the notion of being manipulated by forces beyond her control. But Guybrush trusted the Voodoo Lady too much for Elaine to simply say “Hey, I think this nice lady that has helped you on umpteen previous occasions is using you like a puppet.” Besides, she didn’t want to get on the Voodoo Lady’s radar.

When LeChuck suddenly became human at the start of the first episode, Elaine intuitively realized that LeChuck was also playing some sort of long game against the Voodoo Lady, so she went along with it, keeping an eye on LeChuck all the while, and nudging Guybrush in ways both small (”trust me”) and large (”take the ring”).

Of course, she didn’t plan on being overwhelmed by the Pox. Or LeChuck actually managing to kill Guybrush. That’s why she’s so forlorn at the start of the final episode; she’s played things too close to the vest, and now her snugglebunny is dead.

I really liked the answer, but unfortunately it doesn't explain the role of LeChuck's "trust belt". And I don't understand what Mike means with

"nudging Guybrush in ways both small (”trust me”) and large (”take the ring”)."
What kind of "Voodoo-Lady-related-nudging" is giving him the ring? What should Guybrush guess by that?

LeChuck's Trust Belt is something that just sort of enhanced human LeChuck's natural charisma. Elaine likely never REALLY got sucked in by it, although she probably had undoubtedly had moments where her resolve was tested (Exhibit A: "Woof."). In other words, it's a bit of a puzzle device that also helps explain why everyone else in the Caribbean is willing to give Human LeChuck the time of day.

Elaine's handing Guybrush her ring is an interesting lil' plot point, innit? She had no idea that her hubby would be stuck in the afterlife, nor that the rules for getting out of the afterlife would neatly coincide with offering up said ring. And yet, she intuitively KNOWS to give it to him, and makes sure he keeps his hands on it, even AFTER she's fully f-ed up by the Pox (note how ticked she gets on the stand when Guybrush points out the ring on the evidence stand). She knows the ring is important, and does everything she can to reinforce its importance, even though she really can't have ANY idea WHY its important.